ABHISHEK Kumar put on a Man-of-the-Match showing to guide Aces A to clinch the 2024 Tanzania Cricket Association (TCA) Delaware Champions League silverware, having commanded a 43-run defeat of Pak Stars A in the final early this week.

The Asif Butt-led Aces A batted first in the pulsating final, which took place at the Annadil Burhani Oval in Dar es Salaam, scoring 167/5 in the scheduled 20 overs.

They were 21-1 in the first two overs after opener Butt's dismissal.

Butt made his way back with 11 runs, nailing one boundary, and his fellow opener Alishihab Bukhari stayed a bit longer to register 17 runs.

There was a setback for Aces A, given one of the trusted performers, Prathamesh Chavan, faced an early dismissal with seven runs to his name.

Chavan's exit in the fourth over had seen Aces A reach 38-2, which meant senior cricketers had to prove their worth for the club.

Aces A were reeling at 38-3 at the time the other opener, Bukhari, had been dismissed after 5.4 overs, as Pak Stars A's bowlers battled to contain the batting squad.

The no-nonsense Kumar then took the crease and made his presence felt with solid knocks, notching 62 runs not out for Aces A.

Zimbabwean Aisah Chibanda took the crease after Bukhari's dismissal, pushing Aces A's figure to 77-4 after he had exited the crease halfway through the innings.

Chibanda, also one of the key players for Aces A, garnered 13 runs from 13 balls during his stay.

His compatriot Jeremiah Makanya, who garnered 24 runs, and Ally Mpeka, who scored 28 runs not out, were the cricketers who equally made notable contributions with the bat.

Makanya's exit had left Aces A at 118-5 after 16.4 overs and, as a result, Mpeka and Kumar had to carry the club's hopes with a formidable sixth-wicket stand.

Pak Stars A's Mohammad Ali and Hassan Raza ended with 2-19 and 2-41, respectively, when the team fielded.

Their impressive bowling figures, however, failed to prevent Aces A from ending their innings with a convincing total.

Pak Stars A, chasing 168 runs from 120 balls to emerge victorious, lost steam after they were skittled for 124 runs in 18.1 overs.

The cricketers' efforts to mount a successful chase had got off to a rather less impressive start- given the opener, Nisar Ahmed exited the crease early with a mere nine runs to his name.

His fellow opener Ivan Ismail was equally less convincing at the crease, having been dismissed with a paltry 10 runs.

Pak Stars A moved to 27-2 following the openers' dismissals, prompting the rest of the key performers to improve their game and salvage the innings. 

Youthful Mohamed Omary battled to boost his team's figure with his 12 runs.

Seasoned player Zafar Khan also had a less impressive outing, given the cricketer managed to register 12 runs.

The early exits of skipper Kashif Adnan and Hassan Raza proved to be detrimental to Pak Stars A's efforts, as the squad was left reeling at 46-5 after five overs.

The batsmen were both sent back by Aces A's Kumar for duck, as the latter went on a rampage.

Zamoyoni Ramadhan was the batting team's only cricketer with good figures, notching 42 runs.

Ali was Pak Stars A's other cricketer with two digits in the overall underwhelming stint at the crease for the squad.

The player ended his stay with 16 runs. They were somewhat bolstered by 14 extras conceded by Aces A's bowlers.

The extras were made up of seven wides, three byes, and four leg byes. 

Kumar wrapped up a scintillating all-round showing after finishing with 4-10 when Aces A fielded.

He was ably assisted by medium pacer Kibwana Salum who dashed Pak Stars A's hopes away with his 2-34.

Kumar moreover had Aces A holding sway in the showpiece's prizes, having garnered the Player of the Tournament prize.

Kashif Ahmad (Lions A) emerged as the Best Batter of the showdown.

Younis Afridi (Pak Stars A) laid his hands on the tournament's Best Bowler gong.

The final's Man of the Match prize went to the in-form Kumar (Aces A).

Aces A had directly booked a place in the tournament's final after grabbing the top place upon the conclusion of the round-robin phase.

The club, which got off to a wobbly start, went on to lead the rest of the competitors after commanding the best Net Run Rate (NRR) of 0.8135.

In six outings, Aces A emerged victorious in five and lost one, notching 825 runs and leaking 785 runs.

The TCA-organized tournament, involving Division A clubs, is one of the high-profile club events seeking to efficiently develop cricket locally.

Strikers, Pak Stars A, Delaware Upanga SC A, Aga Khan SC, Caravans, Aces A, and Lions A are the teams which have battled it out in the 2024 TCA Delaware Champions League.